The Bay State Stonewall Democrats have announced their endorsement of Medford state Rep. Carl Sciortino in his bid for U.S. Congress in Massachusetts’ 5th District.

The Bay State Stonewall Democrats have announced their endorsement of Medford state Rep. Carl Sciortino in his bid for U.S. Congress in Massachusetts’ 5th District.

“There is a clear difference between the candidates in this race,” said BSSD co-chair Steve Iannaccone, “and Carl Sciortino’s unwavering commitment to the LGBT community in the State House made this endorsement an easy decision. His willingness to lead the tough fights and build the coalitions to win those fights, is what gave him the edge in our endorsement process.”

“Carl’s tireless work on LGBT issues, especially Marriage Equality and the Transgender Equal Rights Bill, were important factors when deciding to make this endorsement,” stated Claire Naughton, co-chair of the BSSD, “and we are proud to support him in this race so he can bring that work to the U.S. House.”

Sciortino is a state representative from Medford and has served in the state Legislature since challenging an anti-marriage equality incumbent in 2004 and beating him in the Democratic Primary by 93 votes.

He is co-founder of the Progressive Caucus in the State House, was the author and chief sponsor of the Transgender Equal Right Bill in 2012 and this session is the author and chief sponsor of the bill to ban “reparative therapy,” a pseudo-scientific practice that forces LGBT people to lie about who they are and who they love by attempting to convert them to heterosexuality.